A topology can include many nodes and many connectors that define various relationships between the nodes. A problem with using a topology is that the number of nodes and connectors can increase rapidly. To this extent, displaying a topology may be a problem when the topology includes too many nodes and connectors than what is capable of being displayed in a user interface. One solution reduces the topology so that it can be displayed in its entirety within the user interface. However, for larger topologies, this solution can result in a very small rendering of the nodes/connectors, making their selection and/or viewing difficult. Another solution renders the nodes/connectors at an acceptable size, while enabling the user to scroll to different areas of the topology. However, since only a limited portion of the topology may be visible, the user may lose the ability to readily gain an understanding of the context of the displayed portion.
Frequently, a user desires to compare two or more topologies. In particular, the user may desire to identify any nodes/connectors that are different and/or missing between two topologies. To assist in the comparison, one solution displays the topologies side by side. However, this solution requires the user to visually scan both topologies in their entirety and mentally determine any differences. This process is both time consuming and error prone. For example, the user may inadvertently overlook a difference between the topologies. Further, one or more aspects of the topologies can make the determination difficult. For example, the topologies may render corresponding nodes in different locations. Another solution superimposes the two topologies on one another. Various fonts, adornments, and/or saturations can be used to assist the user in distinguishing differences between the topologies. However, this solution remains time consuming and subject to the user overlooking one or more differences.
The illustrative aspects of the present invention are designed to solve the problems herein described and/or other problems not discussed.